I Don't Want to Say Goodbye
by kaitlin.perkins42
Summary: The sequel to Ask and Thou Shalt Receive Jack and Ennis deal with more difficulties. Rated M for future chapters
1. I'm His Husband

Title: I'm His Husband  
Rating: PG13 for semi-graphic descriptions  
Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters and/or places belong to Annie Proulx. No profit is being made

A/N: Alright, here it is, the not long awaited sequel to Ask and Thou Shalt Receive. If you have not read that, please go to my page and do so, as this will make no sense without reading the prequel. Hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

"Oh. My. God." Jack gripped Ennis under the arms and tugged him up, before he felt a pain in his lower abdomen. Blood bubbled out of his mouth as he spoke. He glared at the cashier. "Quick. Call 911." His experience in rodeo had helped him to act fast in a crisis. He laid Ennis down his side and noticed the bullet had gone straight through the man,it must've hit him in the stomach. He knew there must be a large bruise, and he must have internal bleeding, to be spitting blood. 

The cashier stared on for a moment, until Francine let out a blood curdling shriek. Her hands were on her chest and tears were streaming down her face. "It's gonna be ok, Francine. I promise." Jack lied to the girl, hoping she would understand if his promise ended up not to be true.

He clasped one hand on each side of Ennis gun shot wound and pressed as hard as he could. Ennis stared up at him sadly; he knew the man was fading out of consciousness. "Try ta stay awake, bud. The ambulance should be here real soon." Ennis dribbled blood onto the floor in an ever growing puddle. While all of this was happening, Alma stood in the corner, choking back vomit, the gun waving in her hand,which was hanging ather side. "What have I done? What _have _I done!"

"I'll tell yeh what yeh've done!" Jack glanced up at her, not bothering to move from his kneeling position next to Ennis. Blood from his mouth splattered on the floor as he yelled at her. "You damn near killed Ennis! I hope yer right proud a yerself!"

She shook her head in disbelief and dropped the gun onto the ground at her side. The loud clattering sound was soon drowned out by a siren which was immediately followed by a fire engine, ambulance, and police car. Three men and a woman climbed out of the ambulance and ran into the store with a stretcher. "Where's the gun shot victim?" one man asked the greeter hurriedly.

The greeter looked shocked, then suddenly pointed to where Ennis lay, almost out of it. Jack was crying silently, trying not to let Junior or Francine see that he knew something was wrong. Of course the girls knew it was bad, but Jack could make them think it wasn't so dire of a situation, by just acting like the man Ennis had always wanted him to be.

The paramedics quickly and smoothly picked Ennis up and placed him on the stretcher. They put a neck brace on him, in case the bullet had hit any of his spinal cord. Then they motioned for Jack to follow them as they rushed out. He could see a police officer hand cuffing a sobbing Alma, and another person talking to Junior and Francine as he was rushed out.

Once they were in the ambulance and speeding to the hospital, the lady started talking to him. "I assume you're related to him?"

"Yes, I'm his..." Jack was tired of lies. Besides, he wasn't going to make something up for a man who couldn't hear him. "I'm his husband." The lady raised her eyebrows momentarily, then scribbled it onto a clipboard. "Of course." She nodded, then turned to the man who was connecting IVs to Ennis. "We'll have to do a lot of work on him. If he lives," Jack's face fell, he knew this was coming, "he'll be in ICU for a very long time. We'll also have to look you over. Do you know where the bullet is?"

Jack shook his head. He had no clue, nor did he care where it was. He just wanted Ennis to be well again, and to stop having to go to damn hospitals. He grasped Ennis pale hand and let his fingers search for a pulse. "Can you tell me about what happened?"

"Geeze, it's not that long of a story."

"Good, then we should be done by the time we get to the hospital." She urged him on quickly, wanting to do her job and be done with it.

"His ex-wife Alma was at the store, saw me put my hand on one of his daughter's backs, and thought I was gonna hurt 'em. She pointed the gun at me, and he jumped in front of the bullet."

"Oh."

"Stupid, wasn't it?"

"Well, yes. Honorable, but stupid. If it had hit you, it might have hit your stomach, and caused internal bleeding. But you got that anyways, didn't you?" She gestured as blood dripped from the side of his mouth. "When he jumped in front of it, with his back to it, there was a large chance it could hit his spine, or multiple vital organs."

"Wann't time to think about jus' then. Gotta do what yer gut tells yeh, in a situation like that."

"I suppose." She sighed as the ambulance slowed to stop in the emergency hull at the hospital. "James will take you both in. I'm sorry I can't stay with you."

Jack nodded and climbed out of the vehicle, trying not to jostle his pained stomach. "Have a good...life." He said, not trying to sound as odd as he did.

She nodded before pulling the door shut. He turned to the men wheeling Ennis' makeshift bed away quickly and jogged after them. The sudden movement aggravated his stomach, and he had to stop to vomit blood just outside the door before following them all inside.

"Ennis Del Mar. GSW. Mid lower abdomen. Jack Twist. GSWB. Possible internal bleeding." A doctor took a clipboard from the man rattling off nonsense and nodded.

"Thanks, we'll take it from here." He pointed Ennis to one room with 3 doctors, and a nurse pushed him there quickly. Then he showed Jack to another room, where he sat him down on another temporary bed.

"So, what happened?"

"I don' wanna say it all over again."

"Well, the story's right here. Just trying to make conversation. Can you lift up your shirt for me?"

"What?"

"You have a bruise from a bullet on your stomach, right?"

"Yeah..."

"I need to see it to treat you properly."

"Oh." Jack unbuttoned his shirt and winced at the pain caused by lifting it. Underneath the cloth was a large red bump, about 3 centimeters in diameter. And as he tugged it out from under his pants, a bullet fell to the floor, making a light tinkling sound.


	2. We Don't Recognize That Here

Thanks to: **dreamcatcher33, Aayla Security, Valandil Eluch, w84u, and YputhAwareness **for their complimentary reviews. It's great to see some of the past readers back an reviewing. To all of you silent readers, it would be great to get one review from you, just to know what you think, at least. Thanks,  
Kaitlin

Title: We Don't Recognize That Here  
Rating: PG  
Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters and/or place belong to Annie Proulx. No profit is being made.

* * *

The young doctor stared at the bullet for a moment before coming back to his senses. He used a pair of what looked like scissor-tweezers, to Jack, to pick it up. Then he dropped it in a metal basin of liquid before turning back to face Jack. 

"Funny place for it to end up, huh?"

"Shore..."

"Can you lie back please?" He gently pressed Jack's shoulder to lay him back on the cold mattress. He put a flat palm on Jack's stomach and pressed lightly.

"Does that hurt?"

"No."

He moved his hand, and suddenly Jack was up and spitting blood every which way. The doctor stepped back and sighed. "I'm sorry, but at least we found it."

"How hard would that be?" Jack asked angrily, wiping red from his chin with the back of his fist. "There's a huge bump right there."

"CODE BLUE!" a nurse shrieked from where Ennis was.

"I'm sorry, but I've got to go." The doctor's face told Jack this was very bad. He flew from the bed, left his shirt on the floor. Two men stopped him just outside Ennis' 'room'.

"What're yeh doin'!" he yelped, trying to force his way past them. He struggled fiercely, thrashing, but they held strong, gripping him under the arms. "You can't go in there bud."

"Why not?"

"You're not family."

"I am too!" He grunted through gritted teeth, straining against the stronger doctors.

"How so?"

"Argh!" His stomach gave again, he watched the doctors press Ennis' chest repeatedly. He had seen this before, it was CPR.

"LET ME IN!" Blood was everywhere, he wasn't sure if it was his or Ennis'. He didn't care.

"How are you related?"

"I'M HIS GOD DAMN HUSBAND!"

They pushed him to the floor, both with a look of disgust on their faces. "We don't recognize that here." And turned back to the dying patient. Jack collapsed on the floor, a mess of blood, sore limbs, and denim. He hugged his knees to his chest and waited.

Eventually, the doctors stopped electrocuting Ennis, a beep radiated through the hall once again, and oxygen was pumped into the man's body. And all Jack wanted was to be with him.


	3. A Barrel of Nerves

Thanks to: **Pip3, YouthAwareness, JohnKB, w84u, Marina Bayae, kipperoo453, Valandil Eluch, onefreetoroam, dreamcatcher33, and Jamist649 **for all the reviews. I can't believe how many I got for the last chapter! Hope you enjoy this one, and I really loved the reviews from you all. Thanks again!  
Kaitlin

Title: A Barrel of Nerves  
Rating: PG  
Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters and/or places belong to Annie Proulx. No profit is being made.

* * *

After Jack's bleeding had subsided, they told him he could go home and take it easy. He would have liked to have stayed with Ennis, but the girls begged him to come home. They said they were tired of Monroe and the babies, but he knew they just wanted something as close to their father as possible. And right now, that was Jack. So he drove them to the old house, a sad silence permeating the air. 

"Did'ya see Daddy 'afore yeh left?" Junior bravely broke the silence, a look of hesitation about her.

"I wish I had. I saw 'im about two days ago."

"Why? How was he?"

Jack gripped the steering wheel, tried to watch the scenery ahead of him through cloudy tears. He would have to pull over soon, lest he kill them all.

"He was doin' better. Talked ta me a bit, actually. But he was real tired."

"That's good. But why didn' yeh go see 'im 'afore yeh lef'?"

"I wish I coulda, but the hospital wouldn' lemme."

"Huh?"

"Well, I'm not related ta yer dad-"

"Yeh might as well be!" Francine small hands (the only thing she _did _get from her mother) sat on her hips.

"I know. I wish I was. But I ain't. An' there ain't nothing we can do..."

"Why cain't we?"

"Why cain't we what?"

"Do anythin'."

"'Cus we cain't control other folks, Francine. They got a right ta believe what the want."

"I guess..."

Junior said nothing, held her tongue, because even though she was talking to her father and his boyfriend, she felt the same way as those men who had thrown Jack to the floor. She thought what her father did with his was disgusting, un-natural, and wrong. She still had trouble sleeping in the same house, but she did love her father, and picked him over his attempted murderer.

"So..." Jack tapped his fingers on the wheel, out of time and rhythm with the music.

"When is Daddy comin' home?"

"I'm not sure. But in a week, we cain go visit him, he'll be outta the ICU by then."

"How'd yeh know?"

"A nurse had been helpin' me ta see 'im. She tol' me that."

"Awful nice a her."

"Uh huh."

------

Francine didn't often have nightmares. In fact, she couldn't remember her last one until recently. It made it even more embarrassing that she would often wet the bed when she had them. Junior, who was sharing their father's bed with Francine, never said a word. She'd tug the sheets off and wash them before Jack woke on the couch. And if he ever asked, all she had to say was "girl problems" and he was gone from the room.

Francine still couldn't stand that she had the nightmares, but she couldn't get away from them. Often, she just relived what happened in the grocery store, but sometimes, it would be worse. Her father would die in Jack's arm, fade away before her eyes. She wasn't ready to lose her dad. She would wake crying most nights, her older sister would hold her and pet down her hair, never asking what the nightmares were about, she knew, because she had them too.

------

Jack was a barrel of nerves the day before they were going to see Ennis. They most likely wouldn't be bringing him home, but he was still excited to see him after a week of being alone. He bit his nails, tapped the table, shook his leg and drove the girls crazy, until finally Junior told him to go for a walk and wear down his energy. He took the girl's advice and headed outside.


	4. The Ground Shook Beaneath Him

Thanks to: **Joetheone, onefreetoroam, dreamcatcher33, kipperoo453, Valandil Eluch, YouthAwareness, Marina Bayae, and Aayla Security **for all of the fabulous reviews :D

Sorry this chapter took so long to get up! I had a lot of trouble finding the right words, thanks for not hunting me down and killing me while you waited.

Title: The Ground Shook Beneath Him  
Rating: PG  
Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters and/or places belong to Annie Proulx. No profit is being made.

* * *

Jack's walk lasted almost an hour. It took him that long to wear off a discernable amount of his pent up energy and nerves. The birds seemed to be getting annoyed with his presence when he finally turned around to go home. He was nervous to see Junior on the porch biting her nails, tear stained face drying in the sun. 

"Junior, what's wrong?" His voice carried a note of concern, though mainly not for her, for whom he thought was hurt. Who his gut told him was hurt.

"Jack, the hospital called. We gotta go."

"What's wrong, Junior? Tell me what happened."

"They said somethin' about Daddy needin' ta go back ta ICU. Somethin' about 'im bein' unstable."

The ground under Jack shook. No, he was trembling. His knees gave out from under him, and he collapsed in a pile of dust on the ground. "Jack! Jack, get up! We gotta go!"

"I cain't!"

She walked over to him, unsure of what to do. "Why not?"

"'Cus what if he...what if he-"

"Dies." She finished a sentence everyone had thought of, but had not wanted to voice. Jack's sobs were so quiet she barely noticed them. She put a hand on his shoulder, "That's why we need ta go, inn't it? In case he does die?" She, too, had tears wetting her cheekbones, her hand vibrated as she patted her father's boyfriend.

He slowly stood, wiped tears from his eyes, and shook the dirt off his jeans. "Where's Francine?"

"Jus' gettin' yer jacket, and her's too."

"Mmk." He loped over to their old truck, fished his keys out of his pocket and climbed in. He leaned over to push open the door for Junior before starting the loud engine.

Jack had had too much driving to and from the hospital as of late. He figured it would be just as easy to rent a hotel room close to it. Cost him about the same as the gas.

-------

Ennis had tubes in his nose, IVs in the crooks of his elbow; he was a mess. He grasped Jack's hand, though, as soon as the man walked into the room. "Jack," he whispered quietly, trying not to let his girls hear, "I was gonna die, Jack. An' all I could think was, 'Ima die, an' never see Jack again.'"

"Butcha did, buddy. I'm right here, cowboy."

"What if I die after yeh leave?"

"Yeh ain't gonna die, Ennis. Yer gonna be home real soon, right as rain." They all knew Jack was lying through his teeth, but it gave them a sweet, false sense of security at the moment.

A skinny, young doctor came in just then. "Are you Ennis' family?"

"Yes ma'am, we are."Jack nodded his head after Junior answered the shorter blond.

"Where's his wife?"

"Well, it's that bitch who put 'im here." Ennis squeezed Jack's hand in protest to this comment. No matter how correct, Jack should not have insulted the girls' mother in front of them. Their faces hardened.

"Oh. I see. Well, it says on here his next of kin after that is his brother."

"K.E.?" Jack's face took on a look of shock.

"Yes. Do you know where he is Ennis? We'll have to get him out here to sign some papers in case anything...happens again."

Ennis shook his head. "I'm sorry, yeh'll havta find 'im yerselves. I dunno where he's at now, hadn't talked in damn near 15 years."

"I see." She scribbled something on her paper.

"Listen, lady," Jack spoke up, his voice scratchy as though overused, "how long would it take ta change the next a kin?"

"Quite a while. A month, maybe. Three weeks at least."

"Cain we do it?" He looked at Ennis, asking the man for another favor. But this was a favor Ennis would willingly give.

"A course we cain. Where's the paper stuff fer us ta fill out?"


	5. Good Money for Her Services

Thanks to: **dreamcatcher33, Pip3, Valandil Eluch, Marina Bayae, kipperoo453, YouthAwareness, and onefreetoroam **for all of the fabulous reviews.

Sorry about how long it took to get this up, I've been super busy lately. I'll try and make it extra long fer yeh!

Title: Good Money for Her Services  
Rating: NC17  
Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters and/or places belong to Annie Proulx. No profit is being made.

* * *

Jack paid for a lawyer to make sure all of the papers were filled out correctly. It took hours to get them done, what with Jack having to call Ennis, who was still at the hospital, then call K.E. to find things out about him. About the only person related to Ennis they _didn't_ have to call was Alma. Lucky they didn't, she was still in jail. 

The girls stayed with Monroe for the time that Jack was with the lawyer. The hadn't wanted to go, Francine on the verge of tears that she had to, but Jack finally told them he'd be as quick as he could, and the young girl's tears subsided. Her sister had held her hand all the way to the house, Jack wondered why, as he knew this wasn't a common occurrence.

The lawyer was a young lady in a stiff, black business suit, shoes probably done too tight. Her light red hair was pulled back into a loose bun, which helped to soften how she looked a little. She looked shocked when Jack, who had paid good money for her services (A/N: Now, none a' ya'll go 'n' think naughty thoughts, right there), walked in dressed in worn jeans, a dusty, black cowboy hat, and a shirt that looked a little to big for him. He seemed happy, none the less. A smile constantly tugged at the edge of his mouth, his eyes shining with what looked like new hope.

She sat him down in a squishy armchair, made of fake leather. He un-consciously plucked at the brass buttons adorning the seat, as she sifted through their papers, looking for the correct one to start with.

------

Ennis had gotten annoyed with Jack the third time the man called him, so Jack said it was time to stop for the day, he would come back later. The young lady shook his hand, surprised by the thick calluses that rubbed her smooth skin. This man was quite small, did not look like someone who would be an all day worker. He smiled genuinely at her as he took his hat off a peg, popped it on his head, and walked out the door.

His truck chugged as he turned down a road. He should have been going to pick up the girls, but he couldn't resist going to see Ennis. The man had been given a clean-ish bill of health, and was once again (hopefully permanently) removed from the ICU. He turned left, instead of right at the fork, and felt a stab of guilt in his gut. The girls would have liked to see their father, but he hadn't had alone time with Ennis...since he first met the girls. He didn't blame Junior or Francine, and wasn't trying to spite them, he just thought he deserved a little time with Ennis.

The nurse who had helped him sneak into the ICU when he had first been there had kept in touch with him since Ennis' first attack. She had already told Jack where his man was at the moment, so he didn't need to stop at any desks. He just went straight to where he wanted to be.

--------

Ennis still had the oxygen going into his nose, still had some IVs in him, but he wasn't on so many machines, and he didn't look quite as tired. He greeted Jack with a quick nod, then went back to fiddling with his hospital gown.

"What's up, cowboy?" Jack walked over to him, sure to close the door behind himself, and put a hand on the man's shoulder.

"This thin's damn itchy, cain't make it any better!" He complained as he rushed to untie a knot in the middle of his back.

"Ok, ok...shh.." Jack turned Ennis' shoulders towards him, untied the knot and watched the think fabric fall open, revealing a rounded, tan back.

"Whatcha waitin' fer?"

He must've been staring. He shook his head before running short nails over the man's back. His fingers tickled the top of Ennis' ass and the man jumped, as though electrocuted. "Yer ok, ain't no one gonna come in."

"Quit it Jack!" His voice was slurred with arousal. His head lolled back despite his protests, and attempts to ignore what he wanted.

Jack let his hand roll down, then scooped one half of Ennis' bare ass in his hand, skimmed his thumb over the cleft of the man's ass. Ennis whimpered. "Jack..." He arched his back, allowing Jack's hand more space.

But Jack's hand roamed back up to his lax shoulder blades. "Why'ja stop?"

"Ennis, you're still in the hospital. I wan' it jus' as bad a yeh do, cowboy, but we cain't risk yeh gettin' sick again."

Ennis nodded sadly, leaned back and let Jack cradle him in his arms. His hands slipped under the man's gown, and in only a comforting fashion, he rubbed down the man's torso. His hands roved over a pucker where the bullet had gone through and he grimaced. He kissed the top of Ennis' head before slipping his hands back out, and tying the back of the gown back up.

"I missed yeh, so much. This was nice. Cain't wait 'till we cain do this at home." He slipped Ennis a smooth kiss, and walked to the door. "I have to go get Francine and Junior, but we'll be back in a week to get you, then yer comin' home, where you oughta be."

As he walked out of the room, his gut, which had been feeling sickly guilty since he turned left, turned to a sickly frightened feeling.


	6. Something Was Wrong

Thanks to: **dreamcatcher33, Pip3, Valandil Eluch, kipperoo453, candice, onefreetoroam, and PreppieKhmerGal **for all the great reviews.

Title: Something Was Wrong  
Rating: PG13 (WARNING: REFERENCE TO RAPE)  
Disclaimer: Any familiar people and/or places belong to Annie Proulx. No profit is or will ever be made off of this.

Enjoy!

* * *

Jack knew when he knocked on the oak front door and got no answer that something was wrong. He had figured the girls, who had not wanted to be there in the first place, would be eagerly awaiting his arrival by the front door. He tried the door knob and found it was locked. A sudden sense of urgency overwhelmed him and he started banging on the door. Pounding it with fair sized fists. Eventually a hoarse voice started escaping his throat, yelling the girls' names. Finally, Francine came to the door.

Her hair was disheveled, tears flowed freely over pale cheeks. She looked like she was about to be sick. "Jack..."

"Francine," his voice was soft, full of a father's worry. He knelt down and swept the tears off her face with a thumb, put a hand on her shoulder, "What's wrong, honey?"

"I don't...I cain't...You got here too late."

"Too late fer what, honey?" He stood back up and looked over her shoulder, "Where's Jr.? Where's Monroe?"

"They're...He..."

Jack's stomach hit the floor, he too felt he would be sick, "Francine, where's Jr.?" He hoped he was wrong, his head started pounding, he couldn't feel the porch beneath him.

Francine started to cry again, "Jack..." she choked out the words between sobs, taking in deep, wheezing breaths, "He made us promise not to tell."

"Tell what? Where's Jr.?" He knew the girl was frightened, but he wished she'd just tell him where her sister was, and he couldn't help getting a little annoyed. Francine took a breath, and pointed to the door closest to her.

Jack walked swiftly past her and smashed the door open with a loud bang. Monroe was sitting on the edge of the bed, running his fingers through his hair. His pants were undone, sitting comfortably around his hips. Junior, on the other side of the room, was crying quietly as she pulled a skirt on, bare chest and stomach still exposed. Both of their heads jerked up at the sound of the door.

"Jack!" she cried out, forgot her shirt on the floor and ran over to him. He wrapped his arms around her; she hugged his waist tightly and sobbed into his denim shirt.

"Shit." Monroe stood and pulled his jeans up, gold belt buckle jingling as it hit the metal button on the pants.

"What in hell're yeh doin', Monroe?" Jack rubbed the young girl's back, she continued to cry, and grasped the fabric of his shirt in small fists.

"Jack, it isn't what it looks like," his face begged Jack just to walk away.

"What is it then, 'cus I shore know what it looks like. It looks like yeh weren't treatin' these girls like a Daddy should."

"Well, that may be 'cause I'm not their Daddy!" He yelled, pulling a tight undershirt on.

"No man should do this." Jack pushed Junior away from him, put his palms on her hot cheeks. "It's gonna be ok, Jr. I promise." He put his jacket on the girl's shoulders and pulled it tightly over her exposed torso. "Go out to the truck with Francine, I'll be there in a second."

Jack came out to the truck 5 minutes later, blood on his knuckles, Junior's rumpled shirt, bra, and underwear in his hand. "Here," he handed it to her with a gruff voice, and swiped a fist over his bleeding nose.


	7. I Been Through This

Check at the bottom for replies to reviews. :D

Title: I Been Through This  
Rating: PG  
Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters and/or places belong to Annie Proulx. No profit is being made.

* * *

Jack stared out the window and steadily drove towards his destination. Francine continued to sniffle next to him, while Junior's tears flowed quietly. The only noise in the car was the rustle of fabric as the girl dressed herself. 

"Jack," she finally spoke, her voice thick with shame, "where're we goin'?"

"To the hospital."

Junior's face took on a look of shock, "Why're we goin' there? Look it me, I ain't hurt, er nothin'."

"I know yeh ain't, we're goin' a see yer Dad."

"What? No, Jack, you cain't tell 'im, he'll kill Monroe."

"An' that's jus' what oughta be done, sick..." Jack trailed off before he used words the devil refused. He pulled over onto the side of the rode and put his face in his hands, hot tears rolling off the tip of his nose. "Junior, Francie, what happened, yeh know this ain't yer fault?" Jack knew the feeling all to well. Guilt, shame, fear. Wondering what one had done to ask for this.

"We know," their false, sugar voices lied sweetly to him. They wanted him to believe that they figured this wasn't their fault.

"Don' lie ta me," he said quietly, not wanting to scare the girls. He was amazed they would willingly be in a truck with a man, let alone start a conversation with him. He rubbed the tears off his face, and turned to them, sucking in breath. "Look, I know how yeh feel, I...I been through this." He couldn't believe what he just said. He had never planned on telling anyone but Ennis what had happened, and here he was, volunteering the information up for grabs.

"I don't think – wait, what'd you say, Jack?"

He blushed, shook his head. Why had he said that? The girls wouldn't want to hear that. "I jus' meant, I can figure what yer goin' through."

"OK..." Junior knew there was more, he could hear it in her voice, he was just thankful she was leaving it for now.

"K, jus' ta be nice, I'm gonna take ya'll home tanight, but that don't mean we ain't gonna tell yer daddy. Got it?" He looked sternly at the shaken girls before him. The nodded quietly and he started the truck again, pulling onto the road and driving them home.

---------

Jack hadn't made breakfast in a long time. He couldn't remember the last time he had made it. But it was ok, the food wasn't too burnt, and Junior seemed to appreciate the coffee to sooth her headache, still there from last night. She rubbed her temples lightly while sitting down at the table.

"Where's Francine?" Jack asked quietly, dishing some canary yellow eggs onto a chipped, stone plate.

"Still in bed. Cried 'erself ta sleep last night."

"I heard." Jack frowned. He had not been eavesdropping, but the young child's cries were easily heard from his makeshift bed in the living room. He had tried to block them out, but nothing had worked. He had wanted her to have her privacy, but he couldn't figure out how to dampen the sobs.

Junior just nodded, sipped her black coffee and forked some eggs into her mouth. "Yeh know," Jack sat across from her, his own breakfast in front of him, "yer a lot like yer Daddy."

"Mama tell me that a lot." The girl mumbled through forkfuls of eggs and bacon. She smiled sheepishly, chugged the rest of her coffee, and stood. "I wanna go to town today, buy some new clothes, and see Daddy. Got somethin' I wanna ask 'im."

"Junior, I dunno if we have the money fer-"

"I got my own money fer clothes. I jus' need you to drive me 'n' Francine. Will you?"

"Of course." He grinned and looked back to his plate before hearing her shuffle to the bathroom.

------

Ennis shifted nervously in his wheelchair. He was supposed to go home soon, he could feel it. He wasn't going home today, but he was meeting with Jack, Francine and Junior. Jack had called him two hours ago to say they were coming to town, and would come to the hospital, too, he just wasn't sure when.

He stared through the plastic flowers on the window sill out to the street. He wasn't sure what street it was, or where it lead, but few cars went past him on it. The few that did drove quite slowly. "Mr. Del Mar?"

He started at the low voice, it frightened him from his thoughts, shallow as they were. "Yes?"

"We have your release papers here, we believe your condition is stable enough that you can go home tomorrow. Do you have someone you can call to pick you up?"

"Uh..yeah, well, he's comin' ta see me taday, so, I cain' let 'im know when he gets here."

"Great, I'll leave them here. Just buzz Mary if you need any help, or when you're done filling them out."

"Ok." Ennis turned himself back around, and stared once again passed the fake tulips.

* * *

Thanks for all your reviews! It's great to know my writing evoked such emotion, I'm sorry if I bothered any of you by making Monroe a meany, but I hadn't seen it anywhere else (at least not to that extent) so I thought I'd do it. Hope you can forgive me!

**dreamcatcher33: **Sorry the ending was flat! I've had a problem with endings since I can remember, hope this one suites you better. I'm glad there's an OMG factor to the writing, I'm glad it gets to you.

**Valandil Eluch: **I can't tell you if Jack killed him, because that would ruin the rest of the fic. You'll just HAVE to keep reading. :)

**w84u: **Thanks for mentioning Jack's parental ways, no one else did, and it was actual intended to be a main focal point in the chapter. Glad you noticed it :D

**Pip3: **Yes, crazy and crazy go together. I assume all the swearing meant you enjoyed that chapter? I hope so...

**PreppieKhmerGal:** Love the Twist, huh? Well, there's definitly more where that came from. ;)

**YouthAwareness: **Oh yes, me and my suprises! One around every corner. Don't worry, the girls come out unscathed. Glad you enjoyed the chapter.

**hvnsent37: **Thanks for the review! It's always great to get a new reviewer:D I would love it if you continued to read, but please, don't sit too long at the computer focussing on my fic, you may get a back ache _laughs_ I'm glad you enjoyed, please keep me posted on how you like the rest :D


	8. Code Blue

Thanks to: **dreamcatcher33, Valandil Eluch, Joetheone, PreppieKhmerGal, Pip3, YouthAwareness, Jamist649, onefreetoroam, Candice,Hiei-Touya-icedemon, and hvnsent37** for all of the fabulous reviews. Thanks you guys!

Title: Code Blue  
Rating: PG  
Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters and/or places belong to Annie Proulx. No profit is being made.

_

* * *

Ennis rolled over, the all too familiar stabbing pain in his gut had woken him once again. He was never much of one to cry, but hot tears welled in his eyes. "Oh fuck, this hurts." He grasped at the searing pain, trying to rip it out. There was a deep red splotch on his hospital gown, with a twin forming on his back. The wound had again opened. "Oh my god!" He needed help and fast, but wasn't sure how to get it. His hand ran over the wall, searching for the blue button that would summon the current nurse on duty. An IV ripped out of the crook of his elbow and he cried out in more pain. _

_Blood dribbled back to his bicep, dripping off his arm onto the sheets. "God dammit, I need someone!" His voice thundered out of his mouth, scaring his roommate, who had already been disturbed by the ruckus. His hand continued to search the dark wall, warm blood bubbling out of his mouth as he dry heaved. The metallic taste coated his throat, his tongue, his teeth. He spat onto the floor, but it kept coming. _

_"Where are you!" His world started fading to black. The floor slowly tilting out of view as he fell. Time seemed to slow to a halt; he gripped the edge of the thin mattress, falling uncontrollably. The black rolled up his eyes like a window, starting from the bottom and working its way up. His eyes rolled feverishly, searching for a bit of light. He fought with the gown that had scrunched under him and was cutting off his air supply. The nurse found him laying side ways on the bed, body limp. She pressed a button next to her and started screaming "Code blue!"_

Ennis remembered this all to well, the occurrence shook him every time he thought of it. He wasn't sure how many times he had been near death, but he knew this was the closest he had ever gotten. He woke up four days later on an even thinner mattress than he was used too, and a nurse told him Jack was coming to visit, bringing their daughters. Ennis didn't bother to tell the nurse the girls weren't Jack's, because he thought it didn't really matter.

Now Jack was bringing the girls again, to visit. Ennis wasn't in a bed, and wasn't hooked up to machines. So many things had changed. He felt that the girls were his and Jack's now, not just his. He couldn't wait to see them, see Jack. He just wanted to go home, he knew it would be soon.

The pale yellow door behind him creaked open, and a nurse in flat, white sneakers spoke quietly. "Mr. Del Mar? Jack is here to see you. He's got two young girls with him."

Ennis waved his hand at the nurse without turning around, "Betsy, yeh know yeh don' even havta ask."

He felt warm hands on his shoulders, rubbing back and forth, just a moment later, and his daughters were in front of him smiling. It felt good to see them, but something looked wrong. Behind their smiles, he saw...sadness, emptiness, loneliness...he just couldn't place it. But it wasn't good. Jack continued to knead Ennis' stiff shoulders, his hands causing the man's muscles to slowly putty. He placed a kiss on the top of Ennis' head, and walked out of the room.

"Daddy, can I talk to you?"

"What about, darlin'?" Junior looked scared, like she had just crashed their truck, or something. He folding his hands on his lap, and looked at Francine, also frightened. She edged to the corner of the room, sat in a small chair. Ennis could see both his daughters were shaking.

"Daddy, I don't know how to tell you this..." Tears dripped silently down the young girl's cheeks, but she held her composure, licking the salty tears away as they slipped off her nose.

"What is it, Junior?" He was worried now, whatever had happened was no good.

"Jack said, if we didn't tell you, he would..." She sucked in a deep breath, now he really knew it was bad.

"Tell me what, Junior?" Francine still sat in the corner of the room, not crying, not making a noise. Just...sitting.

"Ok, well...You know Monroe?"

"Yeah, the guy yer mama married?"

"Uh huh..." she drew in a ragged breath; it was as though the air was catching on her teeth on its way in.

"What about 'im?" Ennis cocked his head to the side, curious, and honestly confused now.

"Well, he..." she wasn't sure how to say it. Girls those days didn't just tell their fathers things like that. She tried motioning around her pelvic area, moving her hands up toward her chin, then back down. She opened her hands, and closed them. She wished he would just get it.

"He what?" Ennis raised an eyebrow now, he thought he understood, but he didn't want to.

"Daddy...he...I cain't say it...Jack!" Jack must've been standing right outside the room, because he stepped in right after the child calledhim. He walked over to her, put his hands on her shoulders, just as they had been on Ennis', not so long ago. His fingers wrapped tightly around bone, and she smiled shyly at his comfort.

"Daddy, Monroe, he...he raped us."


	9. Getta Grip!

I haven't had a chapter up in months, I know, and I'm so, so, so sorry! Forgive me please! Ok, so maybe not months, more like days. The internet was down. But here it is, all..up and stuff for you.

Thanks to: **Valandil Eluch, dreamcatcher33, Candice, onefreetoroam, Joetheone, hvnsent37, YouthAwareness, EnnisJackDracoSlytherin, MarinaBayae, Jamist649 **for their fabulous reviews.

Thanks to **Shea** for letting me know what you didn't like. Next time you want to tell me though, please do it so I can personally thank you, when you do it anonymously, that makes it...rather hard...

On with the show!

Title: Getta Grip!  
Rating:PG  
Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters and/or places belong to Annie Proulx. No profit is being made.

* * *

"What did you say!" Ennis' fists clenched the arm rests of the wheelchair, his teeth bared through open lips. His animalistic side had never been allowed to peek through around the girls, but Jack saw it and knew it for what is was. 

"Jenny, Junior, ya'll go outside now. Yer Daddy an' me gotta talk." The girls nodded placidly, frightened by their father's explosive reaction, terribly gruesome since they had only seen him _on the verge_ of angry once. They walked slowly out of the door, throwing glances over their shoulders as they went. When the large, white door closed, Jack heard their flip flops flying down the hall way. He wasn't suprised.

"Ennis, get a grip a yerself."

"I gotta grip, Jack. A real good one, and it's gonna be on Monroe's throat soon."

"Ennis," Jack put rough hands over the hospital pyjamas, rubbing lightly, "Jus' calm down a lil'. I know it's bad, I know what he done hit real damn close to home..." Ennis turned around to holler what would most likely be a mighty reply, but instead vomitted on Jack. Jack couldn't blame him. He stripped off his soiled shirt, glad he had worn an undershirt today, and tucked it into one of the plastic bags the hospital used for patient's laundry.

Ennis wiped his mouth out with a fist, spat on the floor, not worried about the kindly nurse who would have to clean it up. "Jack, yeh cain't imagine what it's like. Yeh got a boy, I know, but it's differnt with girls. It jus' is, so don' say it ain't." He glared at Jack, as though silently daring the man to do what he had justbeen told not to.

"I wasn't gonna, jus', Ennis, those girl's need yeh. They don' got their mama, they never had their step daddy, yer all that's lef'. Don' get yerself inta jail, Ennis, don' do it."

"What am I suppos' ta do! Jus' let 'im get away with it, then?"

"No," Jack sighed, sat heavily on the bed, and let his shoulders sag. Even with his age, muscles were constantly moving, and were hard for Ennis to ignore even in a situation like this. "I'll kill the bastard myself."

Ennis stared at Jack until the man got up and walked over to him. Jack wrapped a hand around Ennis' neck, kissed him quickly, and hard enough to draw blood. Then he picked up his soiled shirt and started to leave, before turning back around. "Ennis, we'll be back in a week to getcha. Don' wait up too long."

And Ennis knew what Jack meant. If Jack wasn't back in a week, the man was in jail for what was to happen.


	10. Didja' Touch 'Im?

Thanks to: **Valandil Eluch, w84u, onefreetoroam, Candice, Joetheone, YouthAwareness, and hvnsent37 **for all your fabulous reviews :D

Title: Didja' Touch 'Im?  
Rating: PG  
Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters and/or places belong to Annie Proulx. No profit is being made.

* * *

But Jack did come back. After a week, just as promised. He had a tired look in his eyes, the spark of happiness that was always there was gone. The girls clung to him, one on each side, until they saw their father, waiting for them outside, dressed in some of his own clothing. They ran to him and wrapped thin arms around him, fabric from their sweaters making his neck itch. He smiled at Jack, and rubbed their backs, happy to finally have his family back. A nurse helped Jack get Ennis into the car, he didn't need much help because there was a stiff cast around his torso so the bullet wound wouldn't be jostled, but she said it was "hospital policy".

The girls jabbered with Ennis the whole way back, they couldn't get enough of him. One might think they hadn't seen him in years. His and Jack's hands rested, interlaced, on the seat between them. Every ten seconds, or so, he would pet Jack's hand with his thumb, and Jack would respond with a light squeeze.

When they got home, the girls wanted only to spend time with their father. Jack knew it was a private thing, so he went to the truck to get the supplies the hospital had given him, then started to make dinner. They had wanted something fancy-ish for Ennis' return home, but then, Jack figured Ennis was never much of a fancy man, and it only would have made him uncomfortable. So they had spaghetti.

After they ate, quickly, they all went back to the living room, where Ennis reclined onto Jack, both of them on the couch. Jack's arm wrapped protectively around Ennis' torso, and the girls seemed to take no notice. "School starts up, soon, Daddy. How're me 'n' Francine gonna get there?" Junior's face took on a look of true concern for the first time that night.

"That's a toughy. Maybe Jack cain drive yeh out there on his way to work?" He looked cautiously at Jack, not wanting to offer the man's services if they weren't there to be given. Jack nodded happily, anything to make them more of a family, and the school wasn't too far out of his way, they would just have to get up early.

"Yeh girls'll have ta get up around five, every mornin' though."

"That's ok."

Ennis yawned and leaned his head back against Jack's shoulder, tired from a day of excitement, no doubt. Junior frowned, "Yer tired already, Daddy? S'only ten o' clock."

"Get tired real early honey, m'sorry."

Jack rubbed Ennis' upper arm, "S'ok, ain't it, Junior? I'm gonna take Ennis ta bed."

He rose slowly, gently pushing the man off him. He then took Ennis' hand and led him to the bedroom, the girls calling their goodnights down the hallway.

Ennis plopped on the bed and rubbed the back of his neck, watched Jack close the door quietly. "What happened with Monroe?"

They had both known this would be their conversation as soon as the girls were out of ear shot. Jack didn't look at all shocked by the confrontation. He climbed behind Ennis, straddled him, both their legs hanging off the edge of the bed, then reached his hands around and started unbuttoning the man's shirt. His hands ran over a smooth, plastic cast as the shirt fell loosely open, and he eventually stripped it off of Ennis.

"Is yer back itchy?"

"Yeah..." Ennis heard Velcro being undone, and the cast fell onto his lap. It felt so good to have that damn thing off, but he knew it wouldn't be for long. Short fingernails grazed sensitive skin, sending tingles up his spine. "So...what happened with Monroe...that's a doozy, that one." Jack voice was deep and angered, but his hand stayed steady and soft on Ennis' back. "I was goin' a take care of 'im a couple days after we came an' saw yeh, the girls were goin' over ta a friend's party. So, I headed on over ta his place, and yeh know my luck-"

"Jack, what happened?" Ennis sounded scared. He wasn't sure where Jack's story was going, but he sure didn't like the sound of it.

"It's ok, I mean, I didn't get hurt er nothin', but Monroe...Ennis, the man up an' killed 'imself. Lef' a note sayin' me er you woulda done it anyway, he didn' want us ta have the pleasure. It was...he didn' do it clean."

"Didja touch 'im?" Ennis may not have been the sharpest pencil in the box, but he knew that touching a dead person would mean bad news when someone with a badge found said person.

"Naw," Jack's fingers worked their way around the square patch of gauze that was taped tightly over the exit wound. "I just turned around an' lef'. No point in stayin'."

"No, I guess not." Ennis nodded in agreement, then turned around, putting his hand on the back of Jack's neck. "C'm 'ere." He pulled Jack in and kissed him, eventually rolling over to lie on top on the man, heard his cast clatter to the floor. Ignored it. He continued to kiss Jack as he reached his hand down to tug a denim shirt out of jeans. He unbuttoned it slowly, playing with the hair just about Jack's waist band. Jack's back arched, it had been so long; too long. His breath came in short bursts, as his lips searched for Ennis'.

Ennis pushed Jack's shirt further off of him, and then bent down to put his face on Jack's chest. He looked down to where his hand played with jeans, a buckle in his way of undoing them. "Ennis, Ennis, what're yeh doin', tryin' a gimme a heart attack?"

"Wha?"

Jack grabbed Ennis' face, pulled him back for one more, quick kiss then started to pull off his pants. "C'mon cowboy, it's been months."

------

Ennis woke the next morning, naked, clothes everywhere. Jack was sitting on the edge of the unmade bed, naked, as well, head in his hands. Ennis turned over, groaning, his abs hurt something fierce; though, considering last night, that couldn't be anything to how Jack's ass felt. "Jack," he whispered quietly, felt something dribble out of his mouth. He figured it was drool, so he tried to suck it back, but when he did, it came with a sticky, metallic taste.

"Ennis," Jack turned and dropped next to him, half lying on the bed, half sitting on it. "Oh, yer ok. Thank God. I woke up this mornin', and I remembered, yer supposed keep that thin' on all the time!" He pointed at the cast, and Ennis realized the man's eyes were red from crying.

"It's ok Jack, we'll jus' make sure I have it on from here on out, ok?" He grabbed Jack's hand, swallowed some more blood and realized he couldn't keep doing that. It would make him to sick. He got up, pulled on a pair of shorts and padded barefoot to the bathroom. The girls would still be asleep, it was four o' clock in the morning. How Jack still woke up so early, no one would know.

Ennis spat into the sink for a total of ten minutes before the blood stopped coming. He rinsed his mouth out and slunk back to the bedroom quietly. Jack was lying back down in the bed, quilt at his feet, but the sheets wrapped tightly around him. Ennis laid down, slipping under the white sheet. He tucked an arm around either side of his man, and whispered: "Now, where were we?"

* * *

A/N: I felt bad for givin' ya'll such a short chapter last time, so I made this one the longest of the bunch. I would have had it up sooner, but was bein' wonky. Hope you enjoyed it :D 


	11. Once Sane

Thanks to: **w84u, Joetheone, YouthAwareness, Candice and blackhatnbeard **for the kind and fabulous reviews. This one's ever longer :D

Title: Once Sane  
Rating: PG13  
Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters and/or places belong to Annie Proulx. No profit is being made.

**_Enjoy!_**

_

* * *

_

_Alma knew Sheriff Ponteaux quite well. Monroe had had a hot temper, and with four kids on one income, she couldn't always afford to pay the man's bail. She started just doing regular favors, gardening, cleaning house to earn Monroe his freedom. That wasn't enough though, and they all knew that. Eventually, Ponteaux asked for sexual favors, and Monroe, needing the open space and release from the jail cell, told Alma to do "whatever yeh have ta do" to get him the hell out of there._

_Eventually, that was all Ponteaux wanted. He didn't have a wife, and the man was getting old. A beer gut sat happily where a Sheriff should have had rock hard abdominals. His face was covered in a peppered beard and mustache, and the top of his round head was so bald, it shone. But he was a man, just like any other, and he needed what he needed. And if that meant Alma could get her girls out of the house of sin they were in right now, she would give him what he _needed.

_After Alma fled the county jail, she headed North towards her house. First, she would need a change of clothing and a car before going to see her sinful ex-husband, his boyfriend, and the girls that were probably being tortured right now. She started running, the white, flat, prison sneakers stirring up little clouds of dust in her wake._

_She got home half an hour after she left the prison, opened her back door quietly, and snuck in. She heard someone in the kitchen, it was most likely Monroe, but she didn't want him to know she was out of jail. For some reason, she suspected he was happy that she was there. She edged around a beige wall, and watched him chopping carrots. He looked happy enough._

_"Monroe," she whispered anxiously, awaiting his reaction to her unexpected arrival. His knife fell loudly on the wooden chopping block, sending brother slices of a carrot to opposite sides of the chopping block._

_"Fuck! Alma, yeh scared me!" He spun around to her pale face, slender fingers gripping the wall between them, as though it were a shield against him. "I knew yeh would be home, but not so soon. What'd yeh do ta get out this time?"_

_She hung her head in shame, blush coloring the otherwise chalky cheeks. "Monroe, where are the girls?"_

_"They're at Ennis'. They came to visit for a while, but…"_

_"But what?" She came out from behind her wall, glaring at him. "Monroe, what happened?"_

_Once, Alma had come home early from work and walked into her bedroom to drop off some new clothes she had picked up. Monroe was on top of her youngest daughter, Francine. Since then, the girls had never been home alone with him._

_"Well…"_

_She walked over to him quickly, wrapped her arms around his sides and grabbed the knife behind him. Straddling him as he leaned against the counter, she poked the tip into his back. "What did you do!"_

_"Jack caught me, Alma."_

_She drove the knife deep into his flesh, and he slid down the counter, groaning. A crimson stream of blood trailed where he had been, and she flew out the door, leaving him to fare as nature pleased._

Ennis had never heard of Alma's "talents" when she was married to Monroe, but he figured that was how she got out so early. Her picture was plastered everywhere, stapled onto telephone poles, and her name was said about five times an hour on the radio. He tried to block out any form of media, not letting his young girls see what their once sane mother had done.

They saw anyways, there was nothing he could do to keep the media from his 20th century home. They asked him a few times where their mother must be, seeing as she had escaped from jail. The problem was, he didn't know.

She looked in a clear window, the moonlight made brown hair shine like silk. Her ex-husband was on top of his boyfriend, who sat under him on three limbs. One hand pushed against the headboard, his head thrown back. She gripped the windowsill so tightly, her fingertips turned white, and she lost feeling in them. She had to stand on her toes to see inside, but couldn't get down.

Ennis leaned over and bit lightly on his guy's shoulder, the other man made a yelp loud enough to hear through the window. She saw their motions slow together, their bodies shudder in unison and they collapsed, Ennis still on top of Jack. He gathered his guy in his arms, and kissed the top of his head.

_She was envious._ She lowered herself off of the windowsill, waited for her feet to un-cramp and tiptoed around to the front of the house. She lightly pushed the door open, and squeezed in, keeping quiet and watching for her girls. She didn't see them, and thank God they didn't see her. She could hear murmurs coming from the room she had just been watching, whispers that were sure to be "I love you," and other sweet nothings she should have been hearing.

She knocked her knee on the kitchen table, cursed quietly and hoped they hadn't heard her. She reached on to the cheap melamine counter top, looking for anything she could kill that fucker with. Her fingers felt a cool blade under them, she noticed blood falling onto the counter but ignored it. She crept silently, or as silently as possible, towards the thin bedroom door. She couldn't believe Ennis would commit a sin like that one with their daughters in the house.

She pushed open the door, saw Ennis draped over Jack who was under the sheets. While Jack didn't move, Ennis' head jerked up immediately, he saw his wife silhouetted in his doorway, his jaw dropped and he scooted off of the other man.

"Alma," his voice was raw, like he had been yelling. Maybe he had.

_"Daddy, can we go into town? Brenda's having a party and-"_

_"No, not this weekend, Darlin'. School starts in a bit, and we gotta drive into town later to pick up your stuff, gas both ways'd be too expensive."_

_"Oh…" His younger daughter sat forcefully onto a leather sofa, chewing on her nail. "I need to use the phone then, to call her."_

_Ennis nodded at her and walked out side, Jack accosted him from a dark corner on the porch. There was a light flurry falling outside, and Ennis wasn't dressed to be outside long, he had just stepped out to holler at Jack that dinner was ready. The denim of Jack's jacket was rough against Ennis skin, he turned into the enveloping arms, kissed Jack, twirled his finger in the long hair on the nape of the man's neck. "Yeh need a hair cut," he whispered._

_Jack smiled, Ennis could feel his mouth move while they kissed. His hands roved over the other man's back, the returned to their spot on his neck, playing with the baby hairs again. "C'mon," Ennis pushed Jack lightly away from him, tried to ignore the tightening of his pants, "Dinner's ready.'_

_Jack followed him inside._

"Alma," he said it again, a little louder, "What are yeh doin' here?"

She raised the knife and waved it back and forth, the light from outside glinting off of it. "Holy fuck Alma! What are yeh doin'!"

This was the first time she had seen him scared. She'd seen him angry, sad, and kind of happy, but never scared. And she knew he wasn't scared for himself. He was scared to leave Jack, leave his girls. But he wasn't the one who was going to die. She started moving slowly towards the bed, and Ennis, still naked, shifted slightly, watching her every move.

"Alma, jus' put the damn knife down."

She shook her head mechanically, smiled wildly and crept closer to where Jack slept. "Alma, for God's sake!" Ennis jumped up, and his yell or the loss of his weight woke Jack. He stared at Ennis, who was about to pin his ex-wife against the wall, his hands on both her wrists, then he looked at Alma. She had their French chef's knife held so tightly in her hand, her knuckles were almost bleached white. She stared at him, and he knew she had gone crazy.

He gather the sheets around his waist, moved as closely to the headboard as was possible, and watched Ennis pin her to the wall. The knife clattered to the floor, and she started screaming. "LET ME KILL HIM!"

Ennis continued to hold her, but turned to Jack when she went a little limp, stopped screaming and started to sob. "Get dressed, and the grab me some shorts. I'm gonna need help getting' dressed, 'cus yeh cain't hold her, she'll kill yeh."

Jack nodded, and knowing Ennis had an idea where Jack had none, the man got up and did what he was told.


	12. I Didn't Want You to Have the Pleasure

Thanks to: **dreamcatcher33, Valandil Eluch, Joetheone, and onefreetoroam **for the fabulous reviews.

A lot of you had questions:  
Yes, the italics are flashbacks, and they all have a purpose :P  
The girl's are...you'll find that out this chapter.  
Monroe's and Alma's kids are...you also find that out :D

Title: I Didn't Want You to Have the Pleasure  
Rating: PG  
Disclaimer: Any recognizable character and/or place belongs to Annie Proulx. No profit is being made.

_

* * *

_

_After she had walked half a mile away from her home, where her husband lie, dead on the floor, Alma turned back so as to cover her tracks. She took of her shoes, tip toed into the house and grabbed a pen and paper. She wrote in shaky handwriting, that she knew no one would confuse for hers:_

_Jack or Ennis,_

_If you find this, you already know I'm dead. I didn't want you to have the pleasure of killing me, so I did it myself._

_Bill Monroe_

_She looked it over, hoping it sound real, and left again for the second and last time. Before going to Ennis' house, she would find her two younger boys, she figured they would be at Monroe's parent's. She was covered in blood, and she saw pictures of her everywhere. Eventually, she decided she couldn't go there, she didn't really care for the bastards anyway, so started to look for Ennis' and Jack's ranch._

Jack slipped shorts onto Ennis, who kept holding Alma's wrists. She wouldn't stop sobbing, kept going more and more limp. Once both men were a little covered up, Ennis let go of one of her wrists. She dove for the knife, and he grabbed her again.

"Alma, we gotta talk. Come sit on the couch, and leave the knife here."

He led her stiffly to the couch and sat down next to her. "First I wanna ask yeh somethin', Ennis." She turned to him, trying to ignore the fact that Jack was next to her…breathing.

"What?"

"Where are my girls?"

_After they all had dinner, the girls left the kitchen. "Why'd they look so sad, Ennis? They looked like someone'd stepped on them, er somethin'."_

"_Oh," he swirled the little bit of soup broth in the bottom of his bowl, and looked only at that. "I told them they couldn't go ta a party. It would'a cost too much."_

_Jack raised his eyebrow, arousal glazed his eyes. "Ennis," his voice was deep, "Let 'em go. We can have ourselves a weekend alone."_

_Ennis looked up, smiled as Jack grabbed his hand and ran a thumb over it, then rose from the table. His voice shook when he first tried to use it, but then he steadied it. "Francine? Junior? I changed my mind!"_

She glared at Jack. Of course, him and his devil worship had gotten her girls out of the house she walked miles to get to. He just looked her back in the eye, glared at her for a coupled seconds, then looked away.

"Alma, now it's my turn. What're yeh doin' here?"

"Um…Ennis, inn't it obvious?" Jack looked at him cautiously, not wanting to be put down for what he said.

"What?"

"She wants to kill me, Ennis." His voice was oddly steady for the subject matter. It didn't waver, and it was as deep as it normally was. "This is the second time."

"Jack, yer a moron, but I love you." He seemed to add the last words, so Alma wouldn't get any ideas. "I know _why_ she's here. What I wanna know, is how the fuck she got here."

_Alma couldn't very well ask around for Ennis' address, as her face was known pretty much everywhere. She walked the 30 miles to his house over a period of three nights, not walking in the day, avoiding people who might recognize her. She hoped to find that he was there, but he had moved. Luckily, a sign was on the mailbox, "ALL MAIL FORWARDED TO P.O. BOX T5N 1L6"The P.O. box wasn't their address, but it would be somewhere around them._

_She walked to the post office, sat outside the building until the sun rose. She walked inside and into the bathroom, calm but trying to avoid eye contact. In the bathroom, she cleaned the blood and dirt off her arms and face, wiped off the front of her dress as best she could. Then she found the P.O. box and waited outside again, hoping Jack or Ennis would show her where to go._

_She got lucky. Jack came, parked his truck outside the brick building and went outside. She climbed in the truck bed, hoping he wouldn't have anything to put in there and waited for him to come back out. After about 10 minutes, he did. He was flipping through bills as he clambered into the vehicle. She watched him put them on the seat behind him, felt the truck shudder as it started, and then he swerved onto the road. She couldn't help but give raw laugh: it wasn't everyday the victim took the murderer to the crime scene._


	13. Dummy

Thanks to: **Joetheone, Candice, YouthAwareness, dreamcatcher33, Valandil Eluch, dov, and onefreetoroam** for the fabulous reviews, they're all so encouraging :D

Title: Dummy...  
Rating: PG  
Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters and/or places belong to Annie Proulx. No profit is being made.

* * *

"So _that's _how you got here. But how come I didn't see yeh when I got out?"

"Guess you jus' didn't look." Her tone was dripping sour anger, and said "_Dummy."_ She glared at him.

"How long have yeh been here, Alma?" Ennis looked at her curiously, he was now cautious. When Alma had first tried to murder Jack, then when she had come back to do it, he thought she was just angry. Now he knew she was mad. There was a wild fire in her eyes that was more frightening than the promise of the devil, himself.

"Well, since he got me! That musta been yesterday."

"Where did'ya go?" It was Jack who spoke this time, toying with the fringe on his t-shirt.

"What is this?" she was enraged again, and lunged at Jack, over Ennis' lap. Ennis grabbed her around the waist, her hands just landing outside of reach of Jack. "The Spanish Inquisition!" He backed a little further away from her, got closer to the arm of the sofa.

"Where did'ja stay, Alma?" Ennis' voice shook, the fear of losing Jack was stronger than his will to seem calm.

"In yer backyard." She hung her head, shamed because of her childish actions.

"In our backyard…" Ennis bit his cheek, trying to figure it all out. "Why?"

"I figured it was the bes' place ta hide. I knew yeh never touched our yard, so it was the bes' chance I had."

"Oh…" Ennis' lack of ability when it came to gardening could have been his or Jack's downfall.

"I saw yeh." She was whispering now, blushing fiercely and angrier than a bat out of hell.

"Well, I'd figure as much, since yeh were right outside my house fer 24 hours."

"No, I mean…I saw both a yeh."

"Uh huh…" Ennis still didn't get it, but a look of realization dawned over Jack's face.

"Ennis, she saw us…yeh know…" While both men were much more open with each other, it was hard for them to be as open with or around other people.

Ennis flushed red. "Alma, you caught us-"

"DOIN' THE DEVIL'S DEED!" She yelped, unable to restrain her self, and once more, dove for Jack. Ennis' face was beet red, and he was more embarrassed than he ever remembered being, but he still remembered to grab to woman who lunged across his lap.

"Alma! God damn it, yeh gotta stop doin' that!" She seethed on his lap, spit on Jack's thigh.

He took his hand and wiped it off, revulsion splayed obviously on his face. "What the fuck?"

Ennis couldn't teach his wife manners, it had been her mother's job, and she had obviously failed. He gripped her hard around the waist, so hard he knew he would leave a bruise, and whipped her back up to a sitting position. "Pull somethin' like that again, an' I swear, I'll kill yeh myself." He said it sternly and strictly, as though talking to a four year old.

"You sonuvabitch, I'll fuckin' kill yeh!" She writhed in Ennis' arms, trying to get to her kill.

"We gotta get rid a her, Ennis/"

"They won' keep her fer long, she got out in a month an' a bit, Jack."

"Still gotta get rid a her."

Ennis nodded, and Jack rose from the couch. She followed him with wide eyes as he walked over to the telephone, picked it up. She couldn't see what number he was dialing, but she knew he would stop after pressing three buttons. When he didn't, she leaned closer into Ennis' chest. "Who's he callin'?"

"I dunno." He shook his head and sighed. He did know, though. Jack was calling Monroe's parents. Ennis had told him about how they hated Alma for stealing their fabulous son from them, and Jack knew that they would keep her longer than any jail, and most likely give her what she had coming, too.


	14. 7x7 Cell

Thanks to: **Joetheone, dreamcatcher33, and dov** for the quick reviews.

Title: 7x7 Cell  
Rating: PG  
Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters and/or places belong to Annie Proulx. No profit is being made.

* * *

Monroe's parents came out immediately to get their daughter-in-law. They would rather have her where they could watch her, than have her out in the streets, having a free for all. Ennis had called them to tell them that their son had committed suicide, before he found out how the man really died. He didn't have the heart to tell them the truth, and he wasn't sure if they would still take Alma if they knew, so he kept his mouth shut.

They drove up in a little green car, they looked about 60, both of them. Two small boys tumbled out of the backseat and followed them to the front door, Ennis recognized them as Alma's children. Jack went to answer the door. "Alma, when yeh shot me, yeh were pregnant, what happened?"

She grimaced and touched her flat belly, "I had a miscarriage while I was in jail." She hadn't cried for the lost child, four was more than enough, but the experience had been physically exhausting, and embarrassing to have to go through in a 7'x7' cell.

"Oh," Ennis wasn't sure what to say, as usual, so he said nothing. He heard a knock on the door and took Alma towards it, leading her gently with both hands. A woman in a pink dress and a man in pressed slacks and button down shirt greeted them. Two young boys in overalls and tennis shoes were bouncing at their feet. "Mommy!" They dodged past Jack's thick legs and into their mother's arms. It had been a long time for a four year old and five year old to be separated from their mother.

The old man and woman scowled. "Thank you for calling us, we'll make sure she's taken care of."

"No," Jack shook the man's hand, "thank you. Mr. Monroe?"

"Call me Phil."

"Phil, would you and your wife like something to drink?"

"No," the man shook his head, wrinkles deforming temporarily from the quick movement, "we'll just get Alma and go."

"Alright," Ennis pushed her lightly towards the older couple. She was carrying her boys, one in each arm. She frowned, but followed them out to the car, climbed into the back seat with her boys, and buckled herself in. Jack and Ennis watched the little car drive away, particles of dust easily visible in the setting sun. "Well," Ennis sighed, tugging on his belt, "I should go get the girls." He stood there, as though waiting for something, he didn't move for his keys, boots, hat, or coat.

"Cain I come with yeh?" Jack seemed to sense what it was Ennis wanted, or maybe it was just that he was too scared to be here alone. Either way, Ennis smiled and nodded. Both men gathered their jackets and hats before going out to the truck.

They both decided on the way to town that they would not tell the girls about what happened with Alma, even though they didn't like the woman, they both agreed a girl should always respect her mother. The radio was static, voices waning in and out until Ennis, annoyed, pushed the button to turn it off. "Yeh ok Jack?"

"Wha?" He had red spots on his forehead where he had been leaning on his fingers, staring out the window.

"Yeh been through a lot, the past couple months."

"Yeh have too." He was always trying to point the attention away from himself, because he didn't want anyone to see him emotional.

"Not as much as you, Jack. I'm not jus' talkin' physical, neither."

"Then what are yeh talkin'?"

"Well, yeh know…what's it called? Psychological."

"Yeh mean how I'm feelin'?"

"Yeah."

"We gotta do this now?"

"No…"

"Good." Jack swiped a tear off his face and glanced back out the window. He watched the shoulder of the road fade away slowly, saw the car getting closer to grass. "What're yeh doin', Ennis?"

"I was lyin'. Jack, we do gotta do this now."

"Why?" He rubbed his eyes, blinding himself momentarily.

"'Cus, it ain't good yeh know…keep all these feelin's bottled up."

"What?"

"Fuck! Jack, yeah know I ain't good with words, will yeh jus' tell me what's goin' on in that pretty lil' head a yers?"

"Yeh really wanna know Ennis?" he was crying a little more now, but still silently. The only evidence was the moisture on his face.

"Yes…"

"Alright! I'll tell yeh, then. I'm scared to death, ev'ry time I'm alone. Think someone's gonna come fuck me again, beat me to death, maybe, this time. Every time you fuck me, all I see is them. I try and try to tell myself that it's you, but I jus' cain't convince myself. I have dreams where yeh get shot an' die, right there in my arms. An' I'm tryin' ta save yeh, but I can't. Blood's ev'rywhere, and yer…our girls are standin' there cryin', I cain't figure out what ta say ta them, their daddy's dead!"

He was really crying now, gasping for air. Ennis opened his arms. "Jack, c'me 'ere."

Jack scooted over, collapsed onto Ennis' chest. Ennis wrapped his arms around Jack, pet his back. "It's gonna be ok, baby. It'll be alright…shh, now." Jack continued to cry until he nodded off, and Ennis put him against the window, started the car and drove off again. "See, Jack, dunn't it feel better now."

Jack grumbled, "Mhm…"


	15. Epilogue

Thanks to: **onefreetoroam, Valandil Eluch, dreamcatcher33, joetheone, dov, Lynn, w84u, YouthAwareness, Gemz **for all the fabulous reviews.

Alright you guys, this is the final addition to the story. It was great fun writing it, I hoped you enjoyed the ride just as much as I did. I know this is an abrupt end, but it's really just an epilogue, the last chapter was the final chapter of the set. I hope to get reviews from you, which I promise to personally reply to. Thanks for being such faithful readers, and enjoy.

Title: Epilogue  
Rating: G  
Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters and or places belong to Annie Proulx. No profit is being made.

* * *

When Junior and Francine stumbled into the car, they smelled of vodka and smoke. The leaned on each other in the back seat, blue bags under their eyes, trying to ignore Jack's constant conversation with them. They rubbed their temples and stared out the window until Junior put her hands on the back of Jack's seat, leaned over and threw up. Francine looked at her sister, and vomited at the sight of the sick.

Jack sighed and stopped talking to them, instead contenting himself with instead stroking Ennis outstretched arm. When they finally drove up the grey, gravel road, Jack and Ennis opened their daughters' doors and grabbed the girls as they toppled out. They carried them inside and left them on the only bed in the house – still unmade from last night's erotic encounters.

The girls stripped off their own clothes through the day, trying to ward off the heat and rolled over in the sheets, only leaving each other to throw up in the toilet. Ennis went in later that evening to talk to them, to tell them that was what they got for drinking themselves silly. They asked for Jack.

He came in and sat on the other side of the bed, the girls between both men, Junior holding Ennis' hand, Francine, Jack's. Jack told Francine to roll over and her rubbed her back while he murmured in her ear about drinking habits that he had once had, that had torn him to pieces. Ennis did the same, minus the back rubbing.

* * *

The next morning, the girls were good as new, as long as you ignored the bags under their eyes. They offered to clean the men's sheets, most likely hoping that would get them out of any possible punishment, but Jack insisted they didn't, because he was sure they might, in their sobriety, find something they didn't like.

Ennis agreed, and said they'd leave them for the next trip into town, instead told the girls that yesterday was punishment enough, but if they felt like doing housework, the garden needed tending to. They smiled sarcastically at him, but pushed their chairs back and went to work.

Jack took his man's hand and pet it softly. "We're finally becoming a family, cowboy."

* * *

Alma was locked away in a metal basement. She banged on the walls, wailing pleas for her freedom. It never came. They brought her 2 meals a day, slipped through a slot in a door bolted to the wall. They didn't have guests over anymore and sent the boys over to their aunt Rose's house. Mr. and Mrs. Monroe lived a lonely life because of Alma, but they were happy to have their revenge. Just like their son, she would never see the light of day again.

Jack and Ennis eventually moved the girls out to a farm in Marietta, Georgia. Four horses came with them, a bay, a roan, a palomino, and a paint: all five years old. The barn they built together was sturdy; they painted it blue to be a little different. The family lived in a three room ranch house, decorated with just what they needed. When both the girls finished school, they stayed with their dads, just…because they could. Jack finally got what he had asked for, and he never had to say goodbye.


End file.
